firefall means A summertime event held in Yosemite National Park from 1872 to 1968, in which burning hot embers were spilled from the top of Glacier Point to the valley below, giving the appearance of a glowing waterfall. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why “firefall” is a great word
FIREFALL — [Noun] A natural phenomenon in Yosemite National Park where Horsetail Fall, illuminated by the sunset, appears to glow like a waterfall of fire; also historically, a discontinued man-made spectacle of spilled embers from Glacier Point. From fire + fall, modelled on the compound word waterfall. Unlike "waterfall," which denotes a permanent or seasonal flow of water, or "sunset," which refers broadly to the daily disappearance of the sun, a firefall is an ephemeral alignment of elements. It is the molten gold of a failing sun caught in a slender ribbon of water, the ghost of glowing coals tumbling through blackness, and the collective hush of a crowd witnessing a beautiful, temporary deception. All epiphanies are fleeting, and so must be their names.
noun
- A summertime event held in Yosemite National Park from 1872 to 1968, in which burning hot embers were spilled from the top of Glacier Point to the valley below, giving the appearance of a glowing waterfall.
- The phenomenon whereby Horsetail Fall, a seasonal waterfall in Yosemite National Park, is illuminated by the sunset so that it glows orange-red.